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Ever Want To Be Somebody Else?

Are there times when you’ve shouted, “Oh, I just want to be somebody else besides me!” Here are a few examples of people who’d like to be somebody else, from something called, “The Experience Project.”

Ever since elementary school I wanted to act and dress up as anything that’s polar opposites of the real me; whatever that is.

I often find myself living in a dream world, imagining I’m someone else. Being anyone is better than being me. In my dream world, I can be loved, and successful – it’s not that easy in real life

I just wanted to be at least “average” if not pretty, and live in a place I love, with nature all around, having a job and a small house. Is that too much to ask from life? After years of trying I am tired and depressed that I am not living life.

Why Can’t I Be Proud Of Who I Am? I sit in silence asking myself questions like; “how much is enough?”, “at what point will I have accomplished enough to be proud of who I am?”, or “when can I look in a mirror and realize I’m a good person?” I am 35 years old, overweight, and disappointed in myself. I know several aspects of my life are good, such as, my job, my academic success, my twelve year relationship, and there are many others. I feel sad and lonely, longing to find contentment and self acceptance. I desire physical changes, but lack the motivation and inner strength to enact change.

What has happened to cause these very emotional responses? Do we have unrealistic expectations of life, or have we experienced some particular unhappiness or trauma– either imposed upon us by another, or self imposed by our own actions? Or have we simply forgotten that we are–really and truly– responsible for ourselves?

Unrealistic expectations, and lack of responsibility for our own lives and actions, are huge culprits when it comes to our wanting to be someone else. Unfortunately, the way of our present world is ‘the bad teacher’ of both. We are not encouraged to be ourselves, but something inaccurately called, better. Yet each of us is wonderfully made for unique purposes–not necessarily to be the most beautiful, or the richest person.

So, why are we here— as we are?

Are we meant to be self-indulgent? Are we meant to cause misery and trauma for others? Certainly not. And we’re not meant to cause misery and trauma for ourselves either. But we are guilty of all this.

We are miraculously-made, and therefore complicated, human beings, each with free will. We have the ability to choose who we hang around, who and what we see and listen to, but we have to realize that those particular people and things can make us or break us.

If we could just take a few minutes–quiet, undistracted minutes–to contemplate and wonder why we—each person reading this–have been put on earth at this particular time, we might acknowledge what it is in ourselves, and around us, that needs changing. We might perceive some mission and purpose for our uniqueness . We might quit bellyaching, or blaming those who’ve hurt us. And we might take a step away from what we know in our hearts is wrong, and walk to a shining future. We might just want to be who WE are made to be.